When starting the Interior Design process for your Holiday Let or Vacation Rental you should take into consideration who your guests will be. If you haven’t already, design your customer avatar first, then you’ll know who you are targeting. After that there are some simple across the board rules you should adhere to.
Durability
The flooring for your vacation rental should be built to last. Choose something that is going to be hard-wearing, easy to clean and is not white! Your rental will endure a lot of wear and tear and interior design changeovers have to be sorted within a window of time, so the less you have to worry about sorting the flooring between guests the better.
Originality
Dare to be different with your interior design! Be bold. This does not mean be outlandish, but you can afford to be bolder that in your own home. Guests today are looking for different. You want to be attracting the more adventurous at heart to gain top dollar for your rental, so incorporate original talking point art pieces (these don’t have to be expensive), or maybe a hammock or a really cool reading area. Give them something to talk about on their return, to their friends, family, work colleagues etc. You’ve got to be different to stand out in the crowd and with the advent of Airbnb, Booking.com, TripAdvisor etc there are so many, many competitors waiting to take your guest if you don’t entice them away with great design.
Pamper
These are the interior design things that show your guests you care and again they don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Incorporate warm soft throws for Winter stays. Everyone likes to snuggle under a throw in the Winter. Make sure lighting can be dimmed for cosy night time feelings. Or use individual lamps for dusk lighting. Having toiletries mirroring the image or what your brand says about you, also sets the scene. Providing the story for your guests to live the lifestyle is crucial for them to return and post on social media regarding their stay in your property. Let them do the marketing for you.
Kitchen
Did you know, just like a house sale, that number 1 amenity that attracts the guest to rent a holiday let is the kitchen? Making sure this has everything for their stay is all part and parcel of the interior design. Again, this does not have to be expensive, but making sure there is a coffee machine and a few local cookbooks reflective of the area, goes down amazingly well.
Local
We’re all small businesses, so help your local businesses too, when designing your space. Use individual artist’s work, enhance the guest’s travel experience by referencing an important person in the design from the area. Think outside the box for people you know that are worthy of a mention. Make a list and choose one. Mention them in your description of your property and then ensure you subtly link them in some way in your design.
Interior Design Photos
Make sure the photos of your rental are of the ‘lifestyle.’ Take photos that are not just canvas ones. When you look at them, you want to stay! This means setting the scene, rather like you would in a play. To ensure the table is set, the wine glasses are with an opened bottle of wine with wine in them. Trays have tea and cakes. Coffee makers have just made coffee so that you can almost smell the coffee. Throws are visible. The scene is set with a welcome the guest will never forget. Memories are powerful. The better the memory, the better your rental income will be.
